Some unsolicited thoughts and opinions from a mother and daughter who love reading and talking about books!

Categories

THE WIDOW CLICQUOT

Jul 18

Jul 18 THE WIDOW CLICQUOT

This amazing book is the true story of the woman who created the Veuve Clicquot empire in France just after the French Revolution when women weren’t generally allowed to own property or run businesses. Upon her husband’s death when she was 27 years old, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin assumed leadership of the wine company she and her husband had run together. With genuine strength and a natural ability for business, she nurtured the company through multiple political and financial firestorms – to become one of the first and most successful business women of her time.

DISAPPEARING EARTH

Jul 18

Jul 18 DISAPPEARING EARTH

Fiction, Historical Fiction

This debut novel set on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia tells the fascinating story of two young sisters who go missing one day and the year that follows as the search for the girls ensues. Each chapter is set one month after the previous one and examines the search from a different character’s perspective: the mother of the girls, a neighbor, a witness, a detective. This structure could have felt contrived, but instead added to the overall appeal of the book.

BELLEVUE SQUARE

Jul 18

Jul 18 BELLEVUE SQUARE

Fiction, Canadian Authors, Prize Winners & Finalists, Mysteries and Thrillers

It’s hard to categorize this book, and I am sure I have never read another one like it. Part mystery, part thriller, part brain teaser, every page you turn the story gets weirder and more engrossing.

NINE PERFECT STRANGERS

Jun 20

Jun 20 NINE PERFECT STRANGERS

Fiction, Beach Reads

Maybe you know Liane Moriarity as the author of the book on which the amazing mini-series BIG LITTLE LIES was based – with a cast that included Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley and Laura Dern. But Moriarity has written seven other novels as well, including her latest,Nine Perfect Strangers. Moriarity is a gifted storyteller, drawing readers in with realistic characters, spot-on dialogue and engaging story lines. Just when you think you know what will happen next, the author deftly throws a curveball and sends you some place unexpected.

Jun 20

Jun 20 CATCH-22

Classics, Fiction

Considering the list of “books I should have read, but somehow never did,” Catch-22 was at the top. Had it not been for my son and his self-generated challenge to read some of the books he had never read, I may never have tackled this one. Oh! And then Hulu recently produced Catch-22 as a six-part series starring George Clooney, which further incentivized me to read the book.

A BEAUTIFUL, TERRIBLE THING

Jun 20

Jun 20 A BEAUTIFUL, TERRIBLE THING

Beach Reads, Non-fiction, Memoirs/Biographies

I don’t read a ton of memoirs, but this one is GREAT! I devoured it, staying up way too late several nights in a row. Not only is the story completely hypnotic, the book is structured to keep you turning pages.

May 16

May 16 ANATHEM

Anathem is almost 1,000 pages long, and way outside my comfort zone of usual genres. It took me almost 200 pages to start enjoying it, but once I was in, I was ALL IN! The book is an incredibly crafted work of what the author himself calls “speculative fiction.” This means it takes place on an imagined planet with an imagined history, vocabulary, political landscape, etc. Having said that, if you can get past the made-up words, and allow yourself to be confused for a little while, the planet Arden begins to resemble Earth in more ways than one.

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURESED CHILD

May 16

May 16 HARRY POTTER AND THE CURESED CHILD

For those who are confused: no, there is not a new Harry Potter novel out. This is the published script of the play that is currently performing on Broadway and the West End in London, and it is a delight!

May 16

May 16 PRAIRIE FIRES

Non-fiction, Prize Winners & Finalists, Memoirs/Biographies

Caroline Fraser has written a fascinating biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Using precious little autobiographical information left by Wilder and supplementing it with a similarly small amount left by her daughter, Fraser adroitly weaves a compelling tale of Wilder’s life. She explains how Wilder came to write her beloved Little House on the Prairie series in the midst of the Great Depression when she herself was in her mid-sixties.

ABOVE ALL THINGS

Apr 18

Apr 18 ABOVE ALL THINGS

Canadian Authors, Historical Fiction, Fiction

When I started this book I knew absolutely nothing about Mt. Everest or any of the people who have climbed it. I had no idea who the first person was to make it to the top. But even if you are someone who knows a lot of Everest history, I think this will still be an extremely enjoyable book, just a bit less suspenseful.

Apr 18

Apr 18 FIERCE KINGDOM

Fiction, Beach Reads, Mysteries and Thrillers

I first heard the term “child peril lit” many years ago when my Jodi Picoult obsession was at its peak. It so perfectly describes the genre that it suggests why someone might be drawn to it. You know: that feeling that reading about it somehow protects you and your family. Now that I have a daughter, I’m not sure that psychology is so useful for me anymore. In fact it seems to lessen my enjoyment of a book, taking me out because I can’t allow myself to get as emotionally involved out of self-protection.

YOU THINK IT, I'LL SAY IT

Apr 18

Apr 18 YOU THINK IT, I'LL SAY IT

Fiction, Short Story Collections

For me to pick up a book of short stories to read -- when it hasn’t been selected by one or another of my book clubs -- is unusual, to say the least. I must have received some sort of silent signal that this collection was going to knock my socks off. Curtis Sittenfeld wrote the books Prep andEligible, both great reads. I share with you now that she also writes great short stories.

Apr 18

Apr 18 H IS FOR HAWK

Non-fiction, Memoirs/Biographies

H Is for Hawk appeared on many “best books of the year” lists for 2015 and it’s been on my “must read” list since then. I want to spare all of you any further delay: pick up this book today and read it. It is an absolute treasure! I can honestly state that I’ve never read anything quite like it.

UNBELIEVABLE: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History

Mar 21

Mar 21 UNBELIEVABLE: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History

Non-fiction, Memoirs/Biographies

Unbelievable was recommended to me by a friend and frankly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read it. Don’t get me wrong. I happily spend many an evening glued to MSNBC, following Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow. But, the idea of using my leisure time reading about Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign run seemed potentially anxiety-producing, rather than pleasant. I decided to try it though, and I am delighted that I did.

AMERICAN PASTORAL

Mar 21

Mar 21 AMERICAN PASTORAL

Fiction, Prize Winners & Finalists

I found it funny how many people, when they saw the cover of American Pastoral over the weeks that I was reading it, stopped me and said, ‘Oh, that is one of my favorite books!’ It sparked a great conversation about other Roth books with my mom, in which I realized I have only read one other,Indignation.

Mar 21

Mar 21 AMERICANAH

I know I am a bit late to the party, but I LOVED this book! Honestly, all this time it’s been on my to-read list, I thought it was non-fiction. So I was thrilled to discover a smart, funny novel so full of love and thoughtfulness.

ALL THE SINGLE LADIES: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation

Feb 21

Feb 21 ALL THE SINGLE LADIES: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation

Neither my mom nor I read, or review much non-fiction, and for me part of my avoidance is that when I read non-fiction, I feel like I’m going to be tested. I get stressed like I have to remember all the facts and figures being thrown at me. But this book is incredible, and never once did I feel lost in a sea of statistics.